Many years ago, my wife and I started doing camping using the minimal equipment: a tent, a Coleman LP stove and a cooler. We were young and soon discovered that even if this kind of camping can be fun for a few days, living in such minimalist gears during two or three weeks is not the same story. When you want to do "serious" camping, you need serious equipment. And a RV is almost mandatory! But what kind of RV can you afford when you don't want to change your car for a large F-350 pick-up truck?

Next summer, we plan "to go west". Pulling a 3000lb pop up (2005 starcraft 1707), with my '99 mini van isn't going to cut it. So I am in the market for a larger RV and newer pulling vehical. I want a hybrid camper b/c of the wieght and size. I want an older VUE b/c it wont rust like my current van. (oh my van is getting so chewed up.)

I qualify for the clunker trade in, but my real problem is that I am too cheap too go buy a new VUE. And since last spring, I am taking a 20% pay cut to keep my job. So, I should delay the large purchases until next spring, when things at work better at work.

I have camper envy. WTG leogag1. Perhapse, we will see you at yellowstone next summer. Or maybe the grand canyon, or Mt. Rushmore. or...

This seems so familiar to me.
I have camper envy. WTG leogag1. Perhapse, we will see you at yellowstone next summer. Or maybe the grand canyon, or Mt. Rushmore. or...

My father just went there this year! (Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore). He made a 68 days trip from Matane, Quebec to Jasper, Alberta. He did the first half by the USA side (Chicago, Yellowstone, etc.) and came back by the Canadian side. He has a 2008 F-150, 5.4L V8 and a 24 ft fifth-wheel camper. Not sure my little VUE would be the best vehicle for climbing that high...! As I said, there are trade-offs when towing with smaller vehicles!

By the way, I am not used with the acronyms you use (IMO means "in my opinion" I suppose and IIRC is "if I recall correctly", right?) But WTG, what does it mean? I know WTF... hope it's not the same!

OK, just found out... "way to go" !

I wish you gool luck for your job! I wouldn't have changed my VUE if the huge 6500$ rebate wasn't there...! (I paid my VUE almost the same price as a Corolla LE...!)

Maybe it's just me, but my definition of "serious" camping, as the story suggested, would mean leaving any home conviences exactly there. At home, where they belong. Including the mattress (air or otherwise), fridge, and the furnace or a/c . But hey, maybe that's why the word serious was in quotes . But hey, it was def a good story about the actual capabilites of a Saturn nonetheless.

After spending most of my junior high and high school years camping 11 months of the year in Scouting, I don't consider anything more than a tent as camping. And in some conditions that is even a stretch (dependant on the weather). I always cringe when I pull into a place to camp, and every single used lot is filled with an rv or 5th wheel :shudder:. My theory is why bother to leave home if you're just going to bring "home" with you?

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I would be interested to know what the fuel consumption was with this Vue pulling a 3000# trailer. I have a 2007 Vue AWD, 3.5 l engine and started pulling a 2150# dry weight 17’ ultralite trailer, loaded weight probably around 2500#. While the trailer is light, it is fairly boxy, which means quite a bit of wind resistance. To make the story short, no problem at all to pull the trailer, but the fuel consumption went up from 8.5 l/100km to about 19 l/100km (~12 MPG) – quite a shocker to me.
Vue was most of the time in the 4th gear, very little in 5th and on hills shifting to 3rd.

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I would be interested to know what the fuel consumption was with this Vue pulling a 3000# trailer. I have a 2007 Vue AWD, 3.5 l engine and started pulling a 2150# dry weight 17’ ultralite trailer, loaded weight probably around 2500#. While the trailer is light, it is fairly boxy, which means quite a bit of wind resistance. To make the story short, no problem at all to pull the trailer, but the fuel consumption went up from 8.5 l/100km to about 19 l/100km (~12 MPG) – quite a shocker to me.
Vue was most of the time in the 4th gear, very little in 5th and on hills shifting to 3rd.

Hey! 19 L/100 km is quite good! Here are the numbers with my VUE 2005, which was technically the same as yours:

Maybe it's just me, but my definition of "serious" camping, as the story suggested, would mean leaving any home conviences exactly there. At home, where they belong. Including the mattress (air or otherwise), fridge, and the furnace or a/c . But hey, maybe that's why the word serious was in quotes . But hey, it was def a good story about the actual capabilites of a Saturn nonetheless.

After spending most of my junior high and high school years camping 11 months of the year in Scouting, I don't consider anything more than a tent as camping. And in some conditions that is even a stretch (dependant on the weather). I always cringe when I pull into a place to camp, and every single used lot is filled with an rv or 5th wheel :shudder:. My theory is why bother to leave home if you're just going to bring "home" with you?

This is the beauty of camping: the wide choice of types of camping! Yes, I used quotes for the word "serious" because it is not more serious than any other form of camping. It is just a preference. Camping is fun, no matter how you do it! And I would never tell someone that using a 43' trailer with 3 slide-outs is not camping, because in fact, it is camping! It is just more luxurious than tent-based camping... But often, we refer it as RVing, to make the distinction with tent-based camping. Ask any "RVer" if we would sleep a night or two in a tent and you would be surprised to learn that most of them would answer "yes, anytime!" But when getting older, sleeping on the floor is somewhat too painful and it ain't no fun anymore. This is where the RV comes to save camping!